Jasper & Edward: A Love Compendium
by mw138
Summary: A collection of short stories and plot bunnies featuring my favorite couple, Jasper and Edward.
1. Variety

**A/N: I do not own Twilight or its characters (although I LOVE Jasper and Edward). No copyright infringement intended.**

**The Love Compendium is going to be a collection of individual short stories featuring Jasper and Edward. Each story stands alone and could be expanded into a full blown story. I just needed a place to unload some of the plot bunnies that pop up in my head. I hope you all enjoy!**

**This story was inspired by a rather interesting picture featured in Jasper's Spank Bank on the Jasper's Darlins website. My submission ended up winning! Yay! If you're interested in seeing the picture, copy and paste the following link (make sure you remove spaces, etc.).**

**h t t p : / / 2(dot)bp(dot)blogspot(dot)com/-dpVP9S9wRTE/Tf7RHAQxyKI/AAAAAAAAAJA/DN9YX08EQMQ/s1600/1(dot)jpg**

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><p><strong>Variety<strong>

He pushed me into his apartment with a passion and fervor that made me tremble with want. The feel of his lips on mine, on my neck and on my jaw was intoxicating. I don't make a habit of going home with strange men I meet at the bar, but something about him and his inexplicable pull piqued my curiosity. I wasn't the only one drawn to him. People seemed to flock to him like a moth to a flame, but he took it all in stride, politely chatting with them or letting them down gently. He told me he only had eyes for me tonight.

After an endless amount of flirting, drinking and covert touching, he turned to me with a devious glint in his eye and said, "Come home with me." Normally I'd laugh in a guy's face if he said that to me, but I wanted him, practically needed him. The pull was _that_ strong.

As we drove to his apartment, the tension in the car became so thick I found it hard to breathe. I couldn't wait to feel his hands all over my body, bringing me to the highest peaks of ecstasy. Without thinking, my hand made its way to his thigh where I massaged it, feeling his muscles contract and relax beneath my touch. He reacted by turning his head briefly and giving me a piercing stare that showed just how much he also wanted this.

"Fuck, I can't wait to get you home," he rasped.

I just nodded and tried to steady my ever-increasing heart rate.

Jumping out of the car, we ran into the building, never losing contact. As soon as the elevator doors closed, our bodies came together like attracting magnets. Our hands and mouths were everywhere. All I could smell, taste and feel was him. I was surprised we even noticed when the doors opened, and fortunate no one was standing there waiting to get it. Pulling his keys out of his pocket, he grabbed my hand and practically dragged me to his front door.

As we stumbled inside, our mouths met once again in frantic kiss that literally took my breath away.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he mumbled against my lips while pulling me into the bedroom. Crossing the threshold, we practically ripped the clothing from each other's bodies and fell onto the bed.

"Get ready because this is going to be the best fuck of your life," he purred in my ear.

I groaned and pulled him close as he threaded his hands through my hair. My body seemed to vibrate as he slowly moved his hips across mine; and our skin-to-skin contact nearly sent my eyes rolling back into my head.

"God, you feel so good," I whispered.

"And it's only going to get better."

He turned to get the necessities out of his nightstand drawer when my eye caught something off in the corner. As I looked closer, I noticed that it looked like a spice rack filled with dildos and vibrators of various shapes, sizes and colors. When he turned back to me, I nodded in the direction of the special spice rack and lifted an eyebrow in question.

"Oh, that," he said with a chuckle. "It was a gag gift from my goofball brother, but the joke's on him because I've found it very…useful."

"I've never seen anything like it."

"Yes, Jasper, I enjoy variety. Would you like to try one out? They're all quite stimulating in their own special way."

I swallowed and turned my attention to the collection. I kind of felt like a kid in a candy store because the options seemed endless.

Smirking, I looked back at my lover and replied, "Yeah, Edward, I _definitely_ would."


	2. The Mechanic

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**I wrote this steamy little one-shot for bellemeer's birthday. She is such a nice person and I'm absolutely enamored with her story **_**There's a Crack in Everything**_**. Every slash lover should read it! Check it out and show her some love! **

**For those of you familiar with TACIE, I paid homage to it by adding something special from that story to this one. See if you can find it!**

**Happy Birthday, Belle!**

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><p><strong>The Mechanic<strong>

Fuck! I do not need this right now. Of course my car would have to start leaking oil as if it were a victim in a gruesome horror film. First noticing the leak during my lunch break, I scrambled to find someone who could fix my girl. She's my baby, so I'd do anything to ensure she was in tip-top shape as soon as possible. I took off a couple hours in the afternoon and headed to a garage a friend suggested. He said they do good work and I should be able to get my girl fixed quickly and at a fair price.

It took a while to find the place because it was out in the middle of nowhere. When I saw the garage's old-fashioned neon sigh flashing, I breathed a sigh of relief, pulled into the relatively small garage, turned off the car and stepped out. Looking around, the place seemed completely vacant.

"Hello," I called out.

Seconds ticked by as I waited for some sign of life. Finally I saw movement when a door behind the counter opened. My jaw fell open at the sight before me.

Tall with broad shoulders…

Smoldering green eyes…

Dark brown chaotic hair…

Overalls…

Oil-smudged face…

and a fucking hot smile.

"Hey. What can I do for you?"

My mind went blank. I was so busy staring at the god-like creature in front of me that I barely noticed that he'd spoken to me. I heard words, but they weren't making sense in my brain. All I could concentrate on was the pure sex on two legs standing in front of me.

"Sir," he questioned.

I shook my head and regained focus.

"Um, yeah. My car started leaking oil sometime this morning and I'd like to get her fixed."

He smirked and I felt my dick twitch.

"I think I can handle that."

I nodded my head and immediately placed my hands in my pockets. I'd already made a fool out of myself once, I didn't need to further that embarrassment by displaying a raging hard on in front of the mechanic.

He walked over the car and popped the hood. Leaning over the engine, he fiddled with a few things, stood up and wiped off his hands.

"This is an easy fix. I think I have the necessary parts in the back."

Breathing a sigh of relief, I smiled.

"Thank you so much!"

He grinned and my heart skipped a beat. Yeah, that sounds girly, but I have no control over how my heart beats…or when it chooses to stop because a gorgeous man just grinned at me.

"Come here. I'll show you what's wrong."

Slowly I walked over to the engine and stood next to him as he explained my car's problem. I'm not completely clueless when it comes to cars, but I usually leave the really technical stuff for the professionals. As the mechanic spoke, I took a deep breath. He smelled of oil, mint…and oranges?

As he continued to talk, my eyes automatically settled on his mouth and way his lips expertly formed each word as if he were a great orator.

Suddenly the air changed and became thick. The mechanic's eyes locked on mine and I released a shuddering breath.

It all happened so quick that I didn't know what hit me. Out of nowhere, the mechanic grabbed my neck and pulled me into searing kiss. As soon as our lips touched, I melted…literally. My legs gave out and I had to hold on to my car to keep myself from sliding to the oil-stained garage floor.

As his tongue entered my mouth, I moaned and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Fuck, you taste good," he moaned.

"Oh, God."

He spun the two of us so that I was pressed up against the front of the counter as his hands roamed over my shoulders, back and finally landing on my ass. He squeezed and pulled me forward. My eyes rolled into my head as my cock rubbed against his.

"Mmmmm."

I was too caught up in the overwhelming sensations to form a coherent thought. Pulling away from our kiss, he looked deep into my eyes and nearly purred.

"I want you."

I nodded, wide-eyed and extremely excited.

He grinned and started kissing my neck while undoing my tie and unbuttoning my shirt. Every inch of skin he exposed was lavished with kisses, nips and licks. I was in fucking heaven!

As he moved lower, he began to undo my belt. I grabbed his hands and stopped him. Confused, he looked up.

"If we're going to do this, I think I should at least know your name."

He chucked and kissed the skin beneath my navel.

"Edward."

By this time, he had my slacks unbuttoned, unzipped and pooling at my ankles. He lowered by boxer briefs, freeing my painfully hard dick and licking lightly up its length.

"Ugh! M-my name's J-Jasper."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Jasper."

I looked down at him and had to tightly close my eyes. Edward chose that exact moment to engulf my entire cock in his mouth and I screamed out in pleasure. This was sheer heaven and I knew I there was no way in hell this was going to be a long, drawn out experience. I was going to blow my load hard and fast.

Edward swirled his tongue around the head before hollowing his cheeks and sucking like his last name was Hoover. I couldn't hold back any longer. My hands balled into my fists, my toes curled in my shoes and I let out a screeching roar.

"God, Edward! Yes!"

My orgasm ripped through me with such force that my legs gave out once again. Before I hit the floor, Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and supported me.

"I got you," he whispered.

My mind was mush. All I could do was smile at him and say "thank you" over and over again. He smiled and pulled me in for another kiss.

"Jasper," he murmured against my lips. "I need to feel you…from the inside."

Butterflies filled my stomach and I pulled him even closer.

Taking his earlobe into my mouth and biting down gently, I whispered, "yes."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me away. Since my slacks and underwear were sitting at my ankles, I nearly fell over in my haste. He stopped, concerned, and gave me time to pull them up. Seconds later we were running up a flight of stairs. He opened a door to a room that contained a bed, dressers and a TV.

I barely had time to look at my surroundings before I felt myself being pushed on my back onto the bed. Edward was on top of me in two seconds flat, kissing and sucking on my neck. I unzipped his overalls, pushed them over his shoulders and latched onto his neck like a vampire who hadn't fed in years. The taste of his skin was so intoxicating and addictive that I knew no other man would ever compare. He quickly stood up and jumped out of his overalls and removed his boxers. I took the opportunity to take off my clothes as well. He crawled over me and our dicks rubbed against each other, eliciting positively obscene moans from both of our mouths.

He leaned down and kissed me again, his tongue pushing its way into my mouth and tangling with mine. While his tongue fucked my mouth, he reached underneath the bed and pulled out a condom and lube.

Kissing his way down my body, he paid particular attention to my nipples, making me squirm and writhe in unmitigated pleasure. He licked his way down my stomach, to my happy trail and finally found his way to my cock once again. I was hard again, so he took the head into his mouth and sucked. At the same time, he'd managed to pour some lube on his fingers and was teasing my entrance in the most delicious way.

I sighed when the first finger entered me, shuddered at the second, and whined with the third. His magic fingers stretched and prepared me tenderly, but I was through with his fingers. I wanted his cock and I wanted it now.

"Edward, I'm ready. Please, I need your cock."

"Damn, Jasper."

He sat up, rolled on the condom and added more lube to himself and my entrance. Hitching my legs up on his hips, he positioned himself right where we both wanted him so desperately to be and slowly entered my body. He was perfect. The incredible feeling of being filled by the beautiful man who hovered over me was almost too much. I tried thinking of disgusting things in an effort to stave off my quickly approaching orgasm, and it seemed to work, so I was able to enjoy the feeling of Edward languidly pushing in and out of my body.

He leaned over me, switching up the angle, and hit that perfect spot deep inside me that made me see stars, rainbows and pink dildos.

"Yes! Right there! Don't stop, Edward. Please don't stop!"

My words must have spurred him on because he started snapping his hips and thrusting faster and faster. The sound of skin slapping skin broke through our moans and whimpers in the otherwise quiet room.

"Fuck, baby! I need you to come," Edward said through gritted teeth.

He sat back, never losing his rhythm, and continued to thrust relentlessly. I grabbed a hold of my cock and began to stroke it in time with his thrusts. Suddenly Edward grabbed my hips and pulled my body even closer to him so fast I didn't even know what was happening. All I knew was that I was sliding towards the foot of the bed, and Edward's eager cock, while he continued to pound into me.

My orgasm quickly bubbled to the surface as my hand moved at lightning speed over my cock. Relief took over as I exploded on my stomach and chest and screamed out. Two more thrusts and Edward followed close behind. Falling over and landing my chest, he tried to control his breathing, which was coming out in quick, shallow breaths.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and said, "It's okay. I got you."

He smiled into my neck and placed a light kiss on my sensitive skin.

"Thank you, baby."

He looked up at me and quirked an eyebrow.

"So you liked me playing the sexy mechanic, huh?"

"Fuck yeah," I exclaimed. "You looked so hot in those overalls with grease smudged on your face."

"Well, I needed to make it look believable."

"You succeeded and then some."

I pulled him close and kissed his forehead.

"I hope you enjoyed your first birthday present. We're going to be celebrating all weekend."

"Hell yeah! Remind me to thank Emmett for allowing us to use his garage for a few hours."

I felt Edward's smile against my chest.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll have plenty to say about our afternoon tryst. We'll have to buy him new sheets though."

I laughed and lifted my beautiful husband's chin so I could look into those gorgeous green eyes of his.

"Thank you for bringing my fantasy to life, Edward."

"Anything for you, Love."

I kissed his lips lightly as he whimpered softly.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Jas."


	3. Always

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**I wrote this one shot in honor of Jasperluver48's birthday last week. I hope you had a great day, hun! :)**

**Song inspiration: Katy Perry - Thinking of You**

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><p><strong>Always<strong>

I could feel him watching me from across the room, his eyes burning holes into my back. I know I probably shouldn't have come here, but when Demetri asked me to go out with him for a night of dancing, I figured, 'what the hell,' and took him up on his offer. I hadn't gone out in a long time and he convinced me that joining the living would be a good idea. It was only a few seconds later that I realized _he_ would probably be there too. Why wouldn't he? We used to come here all the time when we were together.

When we first walked into the club, I did a quick scan and couldn't see _him_ anywhere. Breathing a sigh of relief, I joined Demetri at the bar. After a couple of drinks, Demetri dragged me onto the dance floor and held me close. He ran his nose across my jaw and nipped at my earlobe. My eyes automatically closed as I enjoyed the feeling of his warmth, something I hadn't felt in far too long. Immediately my mind went to all the times _he_ held me close on this very same dance floor. I sighed, which must have encouraged Demetri because he proceeded to press his lips against mine.

I wanted to enjoy the moment.

I wanted to enjoy him.

But I couldn't.

I couldn't enjoy the kiss because all I saw behind my eyelids were sparkling green eyes staring back at me. I reached up to run my fingers through Demetri's hair, but it felt wrong. His hair was the wrong length; much too short.

That's when I felt it and I knew. I knew _he_ was there.

I slowly opened my eyes and felt my skin break out in goose bumps. My breathing sped up and I felt as though I needed to sit before my legs gave out on me. Demetri wrapped his arm around my waist to steady me.

"Jasper? Are you okay?"

I shook my head and looked into his brown eyes. They were the wrong color.

"Yeah, I think so. Would you mind getting me a bottle of water, please?"

"Sure. I'll be right back."

I watched as he disappeared into the crowd and placed my hands on my knees, trying to regulate my breathing. Just as I stood up, _he_ whispered in my ear.

"I had to make sure you were alright. You scared me."

A shiver ran through my body as his smooth-as-molasses voice echoed in my ears. Slowly turning around, I ran my eyes up his long, lean body, over his delicious lips, straight nose and those gorgeous green eyes I loved so much.

"I-I'm alright, Edward; nothing to be worried about."

"Are you sure?"

His eyes held such concern that I felt compelled to comfort him. It was mistake to look into those sage eyes of his because now I was hooked. I always used to joke with him that his eyes were hypnotic and he could probably get me to do just about anything by staring at me…..and he did too.

"Yes."

"Okay. Well, it was good seeing you again, Jasper."

He began to walk away and my mind screamed at me to stop him. My arm shot out and I grabbed hold of his bicep. He immediately stopped and looked at me confused. I tried to speak, but words refused to come out. I just stared deeply into his eyes and silently pleaded with him.

_Please still love me. Don't walk away…again._

He turned and stood in front of me, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. I felt his hands lightly wrap around the back of my neck, pulling me close, our foreheads touching.

"Jasper," he whispered.

"Edward, I've been a wreck without you."

He nodded his head in agreement.

"I know, Jas. I've been a complete fuck up without you by my side. I-I can't… Wait, what about that guy you're with?"

His eyes seemed to be alight with a mixture of anger, jealousy and sadness.

"Edward, he's just a friend. He's interested in me, but I've turned down all of his invitations to hang out until tonight."

"What made you change your mind?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I was just tired of hurting. I wanted you, but I figured that ship had sailed."

Edward shook his head.

"Jasper, you'll always have my heart, regardless if we're together or not."

He grabbed my hand and placed it on his chest.

"You will _always_ be here."

"You know, when Demetri kissed me all I could think about was you. Everything just felt wrong."

Nodding his head once again, he exhaled and I drew his breath into my lungs.

"I never stopped loving you, Jas."

"I still love you too," I said.

And at that moment Edward's smile outshined the sun. He pulled me close and gently pressed his lips to mine and everything fell into place. This was right; being in Edward's arms was where I should always be.

As Edward deepened the kiss and I closed my eyes, I didn't have to worry about seeing someone else because my match, my soul mate, was standing right in front of me worshipping me with his delectable lips.

There was only one thought that entered my mind before my emotions overwhelmed me.

_Perfection._

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><p><strong>Many of you have asked why Jasper and Edward broke up in this os...well, the answer to that is 'I don't know'. LOL I never had a reason in mind, I just knew they were apart and unhappy and would eventually reconnect. Their break up is a complete mystery, so let your imagination run wild! *giggle***


	4. The Brink

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**This is my first attempt at writing a drabble. I was challenged to write this at the Smut University in honor of McGee's birthday. We were tasked with writing a smut scene in exactly 100 words. You all know me, though. I have to add a little fluff to the smut. LOL**

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><p><strong>The Brink<strong>

In and out…

In and out…

His body moves languidly against mine, making my eyes roll back into my head and my toes curl.

"Fuck, you feel so good, Jasper," he whispers against my cheek; his hot, soft pants creating a comforting lullaby in my ear.

There's nothing better than the feel of him inside me, pushing my body to the brink and quickly bringing me back only to start the erotic process over again.

We experience an explosive release and collapse into each other's arms, satisfied and unbelievably happy.

"Mmmm, I love you, Edward."

"I love you too, love."


	5. Peaceful Slumber

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**To see the picture that inspired this story, go here: ****http : / / oi55(dot)tinypic(dot)com/6xvubl(dot)jpg**

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><p><strong>Peaceful Slumber<strong>

Stepping out of the bathroom after taking a long, hot shower, my eyes fell onto the bed where the love of my life slept. My heart swelled as I gazed upon him. During my short time away in the shower, he'd managed to move to the middle of the bed and spread out, arms over his head and flat on his back. I chuckled to myself wondering how the hell he'd done it, but didn't dwell as I enjoyed the beautiful sight before me.

His eyelashes fanned delicately over his cheeks as he exhaled through his delicious lips that were ever so slightly parted. My gaze followed his sharp jaw line and down to his smooth neck, tight chest and abs and finally to his hip that peeked out from under the crisp white sheet.

_God, he's beautiful._

He never really understands how utterly gorgeous he is. Sure, he turns heads whenever we're out in public, but I'm the fortunate one who gets to see both his inner and outer beauty. Most people don't get to see the way his fingers slightly hook one another during his sleep or the way he snorts when he finds something extremely funny. They don't know that he cried when we witnessed a dog hit by a car two months ago or that he was willing, and very close, to hunting down my asshole of an ex and beating him to a pulp for daring to speak to me one afternoon during my lunch break at work.

I don't know what I did in a previous life, or my current one, to deserve such an incredible man like Edward. From day one he's been nothing but wonderful to me and I've never felt more loved. He showed me what real, unconditional love meant, even when I thought I was undeserving and not worthy of such a thing. My parents pretty much disowned me when I came out and then I went from one bad relationship to the next, desperately trying to regain the love I'd lost when my family turned its back on me. Unfortunately, things never turned out how I'd hoped. My exes only tore apart my already fragile self-esteem further.

_x~o~x~o~x~o_

"Jasper, how could I not love you? You're perfect to me," he told me.

I laughed thinking he'd actually lost his mind this time.

"I appreciate the sentiment, babe, but you know as well as I do that I'm not that great. I don't think I'm a bad person, but_ you're_ the perfect one. _You_ are the one who deserves to be showered with love and affection and wonderful things, not me."

He grabbed my shoulders and abruptly turned my body to face him.

"Damn it, Jas! When are you going to realize that you deserve all of those things as well? You're an incredible human being who would give someone the clothes off your back and your last nickel if he were in need. You're extremely caring, intelligent, fun and fucking sexy."

Leaning closer, he gently kissed my neck, making me moan uncontrollably.

"I love you," he whispered and followed his loving words with a meeting of our lips.

I hummed into the kiss and could feel him smile against me.

"I love you," he repeated a little louder.

I nodded my head and smiled even though my mind still wouldn't allow me to believe someone as good as Edward would ever really want me.

"I love you too, Edward."

Placing his hands on either side of my face, he looked deeply into my eyes and said confidently, "I love you with all my heart, Jasper Whitlock, and don't you _ever_ forget it."

My heart clenched as a small part of me actually started to believe him.

Edward made love to me that night and not only filled me physically, but also emotionally with his love and adoration. I'd never felt such intense emotions in my life and even though I tried hard to prevent it, tears sprang from my eyes and slid down my cheeks.

Concerned, Edward stopped moving above me and rubbed my cheek with his knuckles.

"What's wrong, Jasper? Did I hurt you?"

I could sense his panic mounting and shook my head as more tears fell.

"Please tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me."

In a whisper so quiet I barely heard myself, I spoke.

"You really _do_ love me."

Edward's eyes glistened as he leaned down and kissed me.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all along, Jas. I love you so much it scares me because if you ever left me, I wouldn't be able to carry on. You're a part of my soul now and I can't live without you. I. Love. You."

Tears streamed down his cheeks as I leaned up and kissed away his tears before bringing my lips back to his. In that one moment, the last brick in the wall that took all of my adult life to build fell. I allowed all of his love to flow through me, warming my heart and causing it to nearly burst from happiness.

Slowly Edward started to move again and in between breaths I murmured my love for him through words, caresses and looks. It was transcendent and perfect.

_x~o~x~o~x~o_

As I continued to watch Edward in his peaceful slumber, I thanked God that he was not only brought into my life, but that he stuck by me and convinced me that this, our relationship, was right.

Dropping my towel to the floor, I climbed into bed next to Edward's warm body and snuggled into his side. His arms moved from above his head and wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me closer as he mumbled in his sleep – another adorable trait of his that only I got to see. Smiling, I sighed against his chest, content, happy and most of all loved.


	6. His Smile

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

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><p><strong>His Smile<strong>

Standing off to the side, I watched as he sat at the table, shoulders hunched and eyes cast down. I wondered why Edward was so upset because every time I'd seen or been around him in the past, he had a calm disposition and a gorgeous smile on his face.

At least once a week, Edward came into my restaurant for lunch and ordered the same thing: turkey on wheat, extra lettuce, no mayo and extra crispy fries with ranch dressing for dipping. I don't know if it was kismet or the meddling hostess, Alice, who always seated him at my tables, but I was happy to serve him because he was a good tipper, he was always friendly and he was fucking hot! Over time we'd built a great rapport and it wasn't unusual for the two of us to talk about any number of things while I was serving. Occasionally my break fell during his lunch and I could just sit with him and enjoy his company.

Today, however, things were different. I walked over to his table and placed his drink in front of him. He didn't even have to tell me what he wanted anymore. Murmuring a muffled "thank you," he eyed the cherry coke I made just for him – I don't use the stuff from the can or fountain, I actually mix coke and grenadine syrup - I'm kind of awesome like that and he deserves the best. My standard 'you're welcome' was on the tip of my tongue, but I had to know what was wrong because his sadness seemed to be rubbing off on me. He was always a bright spot during my day and I couldn't stand seeing him looking and feeling so crestfallen.

"Edward," I said tentatively, "What's up? You seem kind of down."

Slowly he lifted his eyes to mine and my heart broke.

"Nothing, Jasper. I'm alright, but thanks for asking."

Looking around, I sat down across from him quickly and leaned in.

"Are you sure? If you need anything…"

"No," he interrupted. "Don't worry. You'd better get back to work. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

I continued to look at him, hoping something would reveal itself so I could help my friend, but he kept it all locked away and hidden. Nodding, I stood and started to walk away. Just as I was about to pass him, I laid my hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

"If you need anything, Edward, even if it's just to vent or bitch and moan, I'm here. I'm a pretty good listener, you know."

I smiled at him, flashing my dimples because that always seemed to make him smile just a little bit brighter in the past, but today he gave me a half-hearted quirk of the lips and a nod of his head. Letting go of his shoulder, I continued with my work, but made sure to keep an eye on him.

As I was helping some other customers, I noticed a man sit across from Edward. Something immediately told me he was trouble. He just looked…mean; not someone Edward would associate with. I continued to watch as the dark-haired man leaned closer and spoke. Edward's already broken body language seemed to crumble even further. He lowered his head and trembled. It took everything in my power not to run over there. As casually as I could, I walked towards Edward's table.

"Is everything okay here, Edward," I asked, concerned.

The dark-haired man turned and looked at me as if I were something on the bottom of his shoe.

"Yes, everything's okay," he spat. "Just go on about your work and leave us alone."

I looked at Edward who seemed to be folding in on himself. I didn't give a fuck about this other guy. It was obvious that he intimidated Edward, but I wasn't about to let him affect _me_ like that.

"Edward?"

He quickly looked at me, his eyes pleading, and nodded his head.

"Yeah, Jasper, everything's fine."

"Okay, but if you need anything, just yell."

I felt like I was speaking to him in code, but he just closed his eyes and lowered his head again. I didn't like what was going on one bit and didn't realize I hadn't moved an inch and was still standing next to the table staring at the beautiful, sad man in front of me.

"Do you not understand English, waiter boy? He said he's fine, so be on your merry little way."

"It's okay, Jas. Please go back to work. I don't want you to get in trouble."

My heart warmed a little hearing Edward shorten my name, but that joy was short-lived when the asshole spoke up again.

"Jas? You two seem pretty chummy, Edward. Are you fucking him too?"

My jaw dropped and my fists clenched at my sides.

"No," Edward whisper-yelled.

"Yeah right. You'd fuck anything with a dick. That's all you are anyway. You're just a slut that's too fucking eager to have cock in his mouth or ass."

I watched as Edward flinched and said softly, "I'm not a slut, Felix."

_Oh, so the bastard's name is Felix, huh?_

Suddenly Edward looked up at me, surprised to see me still standing there. His eyes were glassy and ashamed and I wanted nothing more than to pull him into my arms and get him away from this obviously abusive prick who was hell bent on breaking him down.

"Go, Jasper. _Please._"

I was about to open my mouth when he cut me off.

"GO!"

Not wanting to cause him additional distress, I nodded my head, slowly stepped away from the table and went into the kitchen. When I walked out again, Alice grabbed me by the arm.

"Jasper, what's going on? That guy is such an asshole. Why is he treating Edward like that?"

A lump formed in my throat because I felt so helpless. There was nothing I could do because Edward didn't want my help. All I could do was sit back and watch the tragic scene unfold before me and pray this didn't break Edward for good. I could tell he and Felix had a history and it obviously consisted of Edward being treated like shit on a regular basis.

"I don't know, Alice. I tried to help, but he won't let me."

"Well, I'm keeping an eye on them. I'm ready to call the police if need be."

"Thanks," I whispered.

Needing to take care of my other customers, I walked from table to table, trying to pay attention, but my eyes continued to go back to Edward. Their conversation seemed to be getting more heated with each passing minute and I felt like I was about to jump out of my skin. Edward still looked like a kicked puppy, but every once in a while he would get a word in.

Just as I was setting two drinks down I saw Felix stand, grab Edward's glass of water and throw it in his face with such force it looked like the liquid slapped Edward harder than any hand could. Edward gasped as the cold water drenched his hair and the front of his shirt. Felix then leaned into Edward's face and whispered something. I watched in horror as Edward's face crumpled and he began to cry and frantically wipe the water off of his face.

_That's it!_

I grabbed a clean towel and ran towards him. Kneeling beside Edward, I started to dry him off. My hands shook with such rage I scared myself. I never in all my 24 years thought I could kill someone with my bare hands, but in that moment Felix's death certificate was signed, notarized and en route to the coroner.

My heart beat wildly in my chest as I looked over Edward and told him everything was going to be okay. He only cried harder and laid his head on my shoulder. Before I could even move to comfort him, Felix spoke up.

"Aww, isn't that sweet. The slut and the waiter looking like two fucking lovebirds."

I shot him the deadliest look I could muster while thinking of all the ways I could hide his body so that no one would ever find him...in one piece at least. My body itched to stand up and beat the living shit out of the bastard, but I didn't want to get arrested and risk my job, and most importantly, risk losing Edward if he decided to bolt and never return.

"Shut the fuck up," I said through gritted teeth.

"What was that, fucker?"

I looked over Edward's shoulder at Alice who was talking frantically into the phone.

_Good. At least the police will be here soon._

"I said shut the fuck up. You've already caused enough damage for one day."

"And what are you going to do about it?"

I rolled my eyes and pulled Edward closer, slowly running my hand up and down his back as his silent tears continued to fall.

At that moment Felix made a monumental mistake. He grabbed my shoulder in an effort to turn me around and face him.

_That's all I needed, asshole._

I turned to stand at full height and looked at his hand still holding my shoulder. With all the strength I had, I swung and connected with his jaw. A sickening crack filled the room as Felix's body fell to the floor.

_That was your second mistake._

I jumped on top of him and began to punch him repeatedly and thoroughly. Logically I knew my knuckles were taking a beating themselves, but I had too much adrenaline pumping through my veins to care. I used every body part available to inflict pain on the bastard: my fists, elbows and knees. I wanted him to hurt for every disgusting word he uttered to Edward and for every ounce of pain he forced upon him.

Out of nowhere I felt like I was floating in air as arms pulled me up and away from Felix's body. I managed to get in one last kick to the ribs and smiled at his yell of pain.

"Serves you right! Don't you _ever_ come near Edward again!"

He just laid on the floor in the fetal position, his arms wrapped around his torso.

"Son! Son, calm down," the voice behind me said.

I turned suddenly and saw three police officers standing behind me.

_It took all of them to get me off of Felix?_

My breathing came out in heavy pants as adrenaline continued to flow through me. I turned my head to the side and saw Edward standing on shaky legs. I quickly walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. He laid his head on my shoulder and held on to me tightly, fisting the back of my white button down shirt in his hands.

"Jasper," he whispered with a sob.

"Shhh, it's going to be okay."

I leaned back and placed a hand on each side of his head, moving it so his eyes met mine.

"Are you okay," I asked, my own tears threatening to fall.

He stared at me for what seemed like forever before pulling me into a hug once again.

"Thank you," he said while clinging to me like as if I were his lifeline.

_x~x~x~x~x~x~x_

After talking to the police, Edward filed for a restraining order against Felix. He seemed to have had a past history of this type of behavior and I was ecstatic that Edward was taking the necessary steps to rid that asshole from his life.

I convinced Edward to stay at my place for his safety because I didn't want him to be anywhere near his apartment. With me and the police in tow, Edward grabbed a couple of bags worth of his belongings and followed me to my place. I made up the spare bedroom and gave him a tour.

"Make yourself at home, Edward. Use whatever you need," I said while he sat on the couch.

He nodded his head and looked down at the floor. My stomach dropped fearing what he was going to say.

"Edward?"

He held out his hand, silently asking me to take it. Entwining our fingers, he slowly pulled me down next to him on the couch. Lifting my hand, he examined it and shook his head. I looked down at both of them and winced as they throbbed.

"I'm sorry you got hurt," he whispered.

"What?"

"I'm sorry you had to get mixed up in that, Jas."

_Ahhh, I love it when he calls me that._

"Edward, look at me."

He raised his eyes tentatively and looked so vulnerable, so small.

"I had to do something. I couldn't stand by and watch him tear you down like that. You're too good to deal with that shit."

He bit his lip as I continued.

"Edward, since the first day you came into the restaurant, I've looked forward to your visits. You know why?"

He shook his head.

"Because you make me happy."

He looked me shocked. "Happy? I make _you_ happy?"

"Yes. Everything from our conversations to your beautiful smile makes my day just a little easier to get through."

I watched as a blush slowly crept up his neck and over his cheeks.

_He's so adorable._

"When you came in today and weren't your normal self, I was instantly on edge and knew something was going on even if you refused to tell me."

"Really?"

"Of course, Edward. I may not know you too well outside of the restaurant, but we've had enough interaction for me to see when something seems to be bothering you. Why are you so shocked by that?"

"Well," he started, "It's just that no one, other than my family and a few friends, has ever really paid attention to me like that. All of my exes are pricks. You saw that firsthand with Felix."

"You dated that asshole?"

"Yeah. We broke up almost nine months ago, but every once in a while he reappears and tries to wreak havoc in my life. It usually starts with a phone call or text. As soon as I hear his voice or read his words, I instantly fall back into the same mindset I had when we were together: scared, nervous and weak."

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and pulled him into my side as he sighed.

"I think when I didn't immediately respond to his text and eventually told him to fuck off a couple hours later, he couldn't take it. He actually followed me from work to the restaurant hoping to catch me. He always had such a strong hold on my emotions, my life, that when he saw me living my life and, for all intents and purposes, happy, he snapped."

A growl ripped through my chest as I remembered Felix trying his damndest to break Edward.

Edward turned his head towards me and smiled. In that once instant all the anger I felt melted away because he was so beautiful.

"I think what really pissed him off was you."

I rolled my eyes and clenched my jaw.

"He saw a man who was actually treating me like a human being, who looked like he cared and who made me happy. It was more than his feeble mind could accept, so he did the only thing he could; he lashed out."

"I hope you don't believe that shit he said to you."

Edward shook his head and looked down at his lap.

"I used to, but with the help of therapy…and you, I know I'm so much better than that."

My heart swelled knowing that Felix's ugly words didn't break Edward after all, and _I_ had a hand in helping him.

I beamed.

Edward's smile blossomed as he watched the smile stretch across my face.

"I love your dimples," he blurted out and then immediately turned bright red.

I felt my own cheeks heat at his compliment.

"Thank you. You know, you're beautiful when you smile," I admitted.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"Edward," I asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"May I kiss you?"

"Yes."

I leaned forward slowly and lightly pressed my lips to his. It was heaven and in that instant something clicked into place. I pulled him closer as we explored each other's mouths. Pulling apart, I pressed my forehead to his.

"I've waited such a long time to do that."

He laughed and kissed the tip of my nose.

"Me too."

We sat on the couch snuggling with one another, feeling happy and content. There was nothing better in this world than having Edward in my arms, happiness pouring out of him.

_x~x~x~x~x~x~x_

"For you, darlin'," I said with an exaggerated flourish as I laid Edward's cherry coke in front of him.

"Thank you, Jas," he said as he blushed.

"Anything for you," I whispered as I leaned over the table and kissed his lips.

His entire face lit up as he dug into his food, his usual, and I laughed to myself.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"Why in the world did you want to come here," I asked while waving my hand around the restaurant I'd worked at for close to a year and half.

"Well, I thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate our one-year anniversary since it was where we first met. Even if you don't work here any longer, it's still special to me. Not only did I meet you, but I got to watch my unbelievably hot boyfriend kick my ex's ass."

I laughed, almost spitting my iced tea all over the table.

After getting control of my breathing, I smiled and said, "I always told you I was here to serve."

"And serve you did," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

I reached over and grabbed his hand, bringing it to my lips.

"This is the perfect place to celebrate our anniversary, babe. I love you."

"I love you too, Jas. So much."

Three months after the incident with Felix, Edward moved into my apartment permanently and we've been attached at the hip ever since. Edward had earned his MBA three months prior and broached the subject of the two of us starting our own coffee shop/café together. How could I not agree to that? Not only would I own my own business, but I'd get to share something I love with the love of my life. Earlier that day, we closed on the perfect space for our endeavor.

Things couldn't get any better….well, they could and would, but I planned on waiting until later that night to propose. Edward was going to be completely shocked and I couldn't wait to see that beautiful smile grace his lips. It was his smile that first caught my attention and now I was more determined than ever, willing move heaven and earth, to keep it on his face for the rest of our lives.


	7. Someone for Everyone

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Music inspiration: **_**Build My World**_** by JC Chasez**

* * *

><p><strong>Someone for Everyone<strong>

The bed jostled gently as he slowly stood and stretched. Feigning sleep, I kept my eyes closed, but listened closely.

He slipped on his jeans, the familiar clanking sound of his belt buckle reaching my ears. There was more rustling of fabric as he pulled his shirt over his head and quietly left my room.

When I heard the click of my front door, I turned and laid on back.

There would be no breakfast and friendly chatter over coffee.

This was just another failed attempt at finding a connection and I was stupid for thinking it might be different this time around.

I was, once again, alone and desperately lonely.

_x~x~x~x~x_

I didn't make a habit of picking up guys, but every once in a while I gave in to my carnal desires.

I went out on dates, but none of the guys clicked.

I sat through awkward dinner or coffee dates only to find myself searching for the nearest exit or the most plausible excuse to get out of there.

The disastrous dates just fueled my melancholy and I started to believe I really was destined to go through life without someone by my side.

All I wanted was someone who understood and loved me unconditionally.

Is that too much to ask?

_x~x~x~x~x_

"Come on, Edward! It'll be fun."

Jake meant well, but I always felt like an intruder amongst all the happy couples.

Jake had Bella.

Emmett had Rose.

Riley had Seth.

Alistair had Angie.

I had no one and it was getting harder to watch the others mooning over each other when I had to go home to a cold, empty house.

"I don't know, Jake. I feel like the third wheel because everyone's coupled up."

"My friend from college just moved to the area and is joining us."

Great, now I have to put on a fucking smile and babysit a stranger.

_x~x~x~x~x_

The bar wasn't overly crowded as I looked around for my friends. Emmett spotted me first and signaled for me to join the group. I plastered a pseudo smile on my face and greeted everyone.

Don't get me wrong, I love my friends. They're a great bunch of people, but I can't help but wonder why I'm cursed with this loneliness. My longing had morphed into an ever-increasingly painful pit in my chest that I tried in vain to fill with physical pleasures, only to find myself in the same predicament as before. Someday I'll find _the one_, but until then I had to bide my time.

_x~x~x~x~x_

Jake immediately stood and shook my hand.

"Glad you could make it, Edward!"

Giving a half-hearted smile, I nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks for inviting me, Jake."

"Oh, this is my friend Jasper Whitlock. Like I said on the phone, he just moved to the area."

I turned my head and locked eyes with a handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed man with gorgeous dimples and an even more beautiful smile. He held out his hand and I shook it eagerly.

"Nice to meet you, Edward."

His southern twang was adorable, but I needed to get a hold of myself. Just because he was cute didn't mean he wanted me.

_x~x~x~x~x_

As the evening passed, Jasper and I struck up conversation after conversation. I never thought he and I would have so much in common: everything from music and movies to our favorite artists and writers.

His smile made my heart skip a beat and his laughter was infectious. My other friends and ubiquitous loneliness were forgotten in a wonderful haze of Jasper-induced happiness.

We good-heartedly teased each other and the more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to know everything about him.

"Edward, I have to be honest. I don't want this night to end."

"Why?"

"I feel a strong connection. Do you feel it?"

_x~x~x~x~x_

Shocked by his confession, all I could do was swallow and nod my head.

"I'm not scaring you, am I? If I'm coming on too strong, just tell me."

"No, Jasper, you're just fine. I don't want this night to end either."

His smile shined, making my heart swell to the point of pain – the good kind.

"Would you like to join me at my place for a drink?"

He stared blankly and I quickly backpedaled.

"Um, you can listen to that CD I told you about earlier, but you don't have to."

Chuckling to himself, he smirked and said, "I would love to."

_x~x~x~x~x_

Sitting in my apartment, Jasper seemed enthralled by my book and music collections.

"This is incredible," he said excitedly.

"A lot of people tease me because I have quite eclectic tastes, but I think that's a good thing. Why like stuff everyone else likes?"

He turned around and stared at me once again.

Long moments passed as I watched him looking at me.

He moved closer and placed his warm hand on my cheek.

Leaning in, he whispered, "Please tell me to stop."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because once I have a taste, I'll never want to leave."

_x~x~x~x~x_

"Then don't leave," I whispered as Jasper's lips brushed against mine creating such a sense of euphoria it scared me. I'd never felt anything like this before and instantly felt a shift.

I felt wanted.

I felt optimistic.

I felt content.

I felt hope.

His kiss deepened as his hands moved to my neck where he lightly caressed my sensitive skin, causing it to break out into goose bumps.

Every touch, every kiss and every sigh felt brand new to my senses. It was as if all the others before Jasper never existed.

This was what it was supposed to feel like; not hollow and empty, but full warm and inviting.

_x~x~x~x~x_

When we fell onto the bed, I didn't feel any sort of hesitation, fear or apprehension. Something in my heart _and_ mind told me being with this beautiful creature hovering over me was right.

We moved together in a choreographed dance as if we were made specifically for one another. He somehow knew exactly where to touch and kiss me to make me shudder, and my hands and mouth found all of the special spots that made his toes curl.

Bodies glistened with sweat…

Mouths met over and over again…

Hands caressed and bestowed pleasure…

It was…

_x~x~x~x~x_

"Amazing," Jasper whispered looking down at me as I shook with wave after wave of pleasure. I watched in awe as Jasper threw his head back and growled deep within his chest as his climax ripped through him.

After what seemed like forever, he fell into my arms and kissed my chest.

"Wow," he said.

"Indeed."

After a few moments, Jasper lifted his head and looked at me, uncertainty haunting his eyes.

"Was this just a one-time deal or…"

I grabbed his face and kissed him passionately hoping he'd undersatnd that this was definitely _not_ just a one-night stand for me.

_x~x~x~x~x_

As I opened my eyes the following morning, I immediately felt that familiar sinking feeling in my stomach.

Is he going to sneak out?

Did I feel something that wasn't really there?

But he said he felt a connection.

Before my irrational thoughts took over, a strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back into a solid, warm chest.

I felt the vibrations of his hum through my back and couldn't help the smile the spread across my face.

"Mornin'," he said, his voice thick with sleep.

"Morning."

Kissing the back of neck, he snuggled closer.

"How about some breakfast," he asked.

My heart swelled as I turned in his embrace and nuzzled his neck.

"Sounds perfect. I'll make the coffee."


	8. Your Love is Better than Ice Cream

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Your Love is Better than Ice Cream<strong>

He's been my best friend for over 20 years and I can remember the day we met as if it were yesterday. I'd just turned eight and was playing outside in the yard when I noticed a huge moving truck pull into the driveway next door. As the family emerged, my eyes locked on the boy, who looked to be around my age. I remember he had platinum blonde hair. It was so blonde it almost looked white. As he looked around the yard of his new home, he turned towards me. For a second I wanted to run into my house and hide, but I just stood there frozen. He smiled and waved. Not wanting to be rude, I smiled and waved back. He then ran over to his mom and spoke to her. She looked over at me, still firmly rooted in one spot, smiled and nodded her head. Jasper ran over and stood right in front of me.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," I mumbled.

"My name's Jasper. What's yours?"

"Edward."

"I'm glad you're my neighbor! Now I'll always have someone to play with."

I looked into his blue eyes and smiled. I had a few friends at school, but I'd always been pretty shy. It would be nice to have a friend so close by to play with.

"I have my Transformers outside. Do you want to play with them?"

Jasper's eyes lit up and he smiled widely, displaying his dimples.

"Yeah!"

So the two of us ran to my porch and played for the next couple of hours. Little did I know that in that one moment, my life was forever changed.

_x~x~x~x~x~x~x_

Over the years, Jasper and I were inseparable. You rarely saw one of us without the other. Being more outgoing and braver, Jasper always stood up for me when I was teased for wearing glasses, being too skinny or not being very good at sports. He always took care of me.

As I sat and thought about how our relationship progressed from a brotherly friendship to romance, I remembered another day in our history vividly. Even though I didn't realize it at the time, I think it was the day I fell in love with Jasper.

_o~o~o~o~o~o~o_

Jasper and his family had lived next door for almost a year now. Summer time in Virginia was always hot, so Jasper and I decided to walk to the corner store and get some ice cream. He was particularly excited because he heard that the store now had his absolute favorite flavor in the world: raspberry soft serve. I never really cared what flavor I ate as long as it wasn't pistachio. After we'd purchased our ice cream cones, we headed back to my house where we were going to watch some TV before working on our fort in his backyard.

Jasper was in heaven as he licked his cone and talked to me. While crossing the street, I must have tripped over my shoelaces or something because all of a sudden I was falling to the ground and watching my ice cream cone land, ice cream side down, on the ground. Jasper was immediately at my side helping me up.

"Are you okay, Edward," he asked, concern in his eyes.

My palms stung. I lifted them up and noticed they'd been scraped up and were bleeding a little.

"I'm okay," I whispered.

I then realized that my ice cream was lying on the dirty ground. Ants were already making their way to the sweet treat and all I could feel was frustration bubbling in my chest.

I was frustrated because I tripped and fell.

I was frustrated because I embarrassed myself in front of Jasper again.

I was frustrated because stupid ants were now eating _my_ ice cream!

Tears started to well in my eyes, but I wiped them away roughly with the back of my hand.

Seeing my distress, Jasper stood closer and pushed his cone toward me.

"Here. You can have mine," he said.

I looked at him like he was crazy. I couldn't believe he was offering _me_ his ice cream cone, especially when it was his favorite flavor.

I shook my head and sniffled. "I can't take it, Jasper. It's your favorite."

"It's okay, as long as you don't mind that I already licked it. Besides, you could use it a lot more than me right now. I hate seeing you so sad, Edward. Mama always told me that ice cream makes everything better."

I looked up at him through my blurry eyes as he smiled brightly at me. I couldn't help but smile back as I slowly took the ice cream cone out of his hand. He was right, the ice cream did make me feel better, but I don't think it was necessarily the ice cream that produced that warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest. It was the fact that he'd given me something he loved just to make me happy.

_o~o~o~o~o~o~o_

Not much had changed since that day. Instead of being best friends, we were now best friends _and_ lovers. He always went above and beyond to make me happy and there were no words to describe the depth and magnitude of my love for him.

I think we discovered we were different and preferred each other to the silly girls at school around our mid-teens. I'd been pining for him since puberty and he later revealed that he'd had a crush on me almost just as long. We were never interested in girls because we had each other. Our bond was something that could never be broken, so when our hormones kicked in, it was Jasper's now dirty blonde, wavy hair that I wanted to run my hands through; his lips I wanted to kiss; and his neck I wanted to lick. He was always beautiful, but as he filled out and grew into a man, my mind exploded with wicked images of him doing delicious things to my body.

We shared our first kiss at 15.

Said 'I love you' at 16.

Lost our virginity at 18 – when we were in college and out of our parents' homes.

Moved in together at 20.

Engaged at 22.

Married at 23.

Now, 22 years after I first laid eyes on him, I'm back at that same corner store standing next to Jasper as he eyes his favorite raspberry soft serve ice cream hungrily. We were back in town so that our boys, Jake and Seth, could visit their grandparents, who still lived next door to each other. I watched as Jasper's eyes rolled back into his head when he took the first lick of the creamy dessert. My body instantly responded and I tried to suppress the low moan sitting in the back of my throat.

His blue eyes met mine and he winked seductively.

"You know," I said as we left the store, "I wish I could get that kind of reaction out of you."

Huffing, Jasper rested his hand over his heart and pretended to be offended.

"What," he shouted. "You must have bumped your head to think such a thing."

I chuckled at his silliness as he moved closer to whisper in my ear.

"You not only make me moan, but you make me scream your name."

I gulped as his words sunk in.

"I love raspberry ice cream," he continued, "but I love _you_ more."

He stuck out his tongue and lightly licked the shell of my ear. The cold temperature of his tongue against my overheated skin nearly sent me into a tailspin. When he pulled back, he looked as though he were more interested in eating me than the ice cream.

We stared at each other for a moment before I was torn from my bliss by a loud commotion coming swiftly towards us. I watched in horror as two dogs tangled their leashes around our legs. By some miracle I was able to remain standing, but Jasper wasn't so lucky. He lost his balance and went falling backwards onto the sidewalk. He landed on his butt just as the dogs' owner sprinted towards us apologizing profusely.

Jasper just laughed the whole situation off as I helped him to his feet. It was then that I noticed the animals licking Jasper's fallen ice cream cone on the ground. My mind immediately went back to the afternoon so many years ago when something similar happened to me.

Laughing, Jasper said, "Well, it looks like I have to go get another cone since my two new friends inhaled mine."

As he started to walk back to the store, I grabbed his arm and pushed my cone towards him. He looked at me, silently questioning me with his sparkling eyes.

"You know, a great man once told me that ice cream makes everything better."

Handing him the ice cream cone, Jasper accepted it and looked down at the ground, blushing.

"Thank you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss me.

As we walked home and shared the ice cream, I thought about how lucky I was to have Jasper in my life. Not only was he my best friend, husband and partner, but he loved me so much that he would give up his favorite thing just to make me smile. I hoped he knew I'd do the same for him in a heartbeat.

If his incredible smile, firm grip on my hand and immense love shining in his eyes, mirroring my own, were any indication, he knew.

* * *

><p><strong>As you may have noticed, I decided to use a lyric from Sarah McLachlan's song, Ice Cream, for the title of this one shot. When I was trying to think of a title, her song immediately popped into my head and it fit perfectly. :)<strong>


	9. Never Forget

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended**_._

* * *

><p><em>What am I going to do?<em>

Running my hand through my hair for the 100th time in past 30 minutes, I dialed his number again only to receive voicemail. My eyes moved to the television as the news stations replayed the airplanes hitting the buildings over and over again.

_Please, God, let him be okay._

My phone rang and I immediately picked it up hoping it was him.

"Jasper?"

"No, son, it's me."

I sighed, taking a little comfort in my father's voice, but wishing it were someone else's.

"Hey, Dad."

"Have you heard from him yet?"

Tears stung my eyes as I shook my head. Realizing my father couldn't see me, I croaked my answer into the phone.

"No."

"Stay strong, Edward. He'll be in touch with you."

Just as he was speaking, I watched in utter horror as the first building fell….the building Jasper was in.

I screamed out loud and felt my world crash down around me; much like the structure that had just crumbled in a pile of dust and ash.

Without Jasper that's all I'd be.

"Edward! Are you alright? What happened?"

"Dad, I should get off the phone in case Jasper's trying to call."

"Okay, but please keep us posted. Your mother and I are thinking about both of you and wish we could be there."

"I know. Thanks."

"I'll talk to you later, son. I love you."

I took a deep breath and responded in a shaky voice, "I love you too, Dad."

As I hung up the phone, my mind raced. I tried Jasper's phone once more and was met, yet again, with his voicemail. Even though I desperately wanted to hear his live voice, the sound of his deep southern drawl as he asked me leave a message at the beep brought me a small amount of comfort.

I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around Jasper and hold him tight, gazing into his blue eyes and feeling my heart flutter when she smiled, dimples on display.

We met the very first day I arrived on campus at NYU. He lived two doors down in the dorm and appeared at my door looking for a hammer. As soon as I laid eyes on him, I knew. His fingers grazed mine as I handed over the requested tool and we both gasped. I didn't feel a jolt of electricity flowing through my body or anything, but something in my gut just told him he was it. He was the one.

Two weeks later we went on our first date and that night we shared our first mind-blowing kiss.

In all honesty, I was quite overwhelmed by it all because I'd never felt anything so intense. I was an 18-year-old freshman trying to find his way in a new city and starting a new life. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd find the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with so quickly.

At the beginning of our sophomore year, we decided to move in together and found a pretty decent and affordable apartment in Brooklyn, which is where we've been ever since.

Now that we were in our final year of college, Jasper started an internship that took him downtown to the World Trade Center twice a week. He was beyond excited, and each day of his internship, for the past two weeks, he came home and told me story after story about all of the cool things he did at work. I was so proud of him, but now I wished he'd never even applied for the job. Because of it, I now may have lost the love of my life.

Pain ripped through my heart as I thought about never seeing him walk through the door again. Would I be able to move on? Would I _want _to move on? Would I even want to live without him?

I was startled by such a dark thought, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn't seem so weird. Jasper was the best thing that had happened to me and without him I'd only be half a man. He complemented me in so many ways. He could calm me when my anxiety got the best of me, or I placed too much pressure on myself. He knew how to bring a smile to my face, and always knew exactly what I needed at any given moment. Sometimes I thought he knew me better than I knew myself.

Standing quickly, I flew into a rage.

I screamed.

I kicked.

I threw various things.

In the end, I collapsed to the floor sobbing uncontrollably as I faintly listened to the worried voices on the television as the second building collapsed.

I don't know when I finally got off of the floor, but after calling Jasper's cell and, once again, not receiving an answer, I decided to go outside and sit on the stoop. If Jasper made his way back home, I wanted to make sure I was right there waiting for him.

Hour after hour passed and there was still no sign or word of him. Occasionally neighbors stopped by and sheepishly smiled at me. I tried my best to be polite, knowing I wasn't the only one in turmoil. The entire city and country were mourning.

Every once in a while, I caught the sight of blond waves and my heart swelled. However, moments later it would break when the person turned out to be a stranger and not my Jasper. I should have gone inside the house, rather than torture myself over and over again, but I didn't want to miss Jasper when he arrived. If he didn't return to me, I don't think I'd ever be able to enter our apartment again.

Sitting on the stoop and staring at my phone, willing it to ring, I thought I faintly heard my name being called in the distance. The name Edward is not a totally uncommon name, so I didn't really pay attention, but when I heard it again, this time closer and louder, I turned my head and looked up the street.

The world literally stopped and everything moved in slow motion.

There, running towards me, was the most beautiful sight in the world.

"Jasper."

I ran down the steps and bolted towards him. As my legs carried me closer to my boyfriend, tears streamed down my face. Once I was close enough, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him tightly to my body.

"Edward," he whispered.

"Jasper! Thank God you're okay!"

He pulled back and looked at me, eyes filling with tears.

"I thought I lost you," I said.

He looked down at the ground and began to tremble.

"I-I had to get back to you. Even in the midst of all the chaos and fear, I _had_ to get back to you."

I pulled him to my chest once again and squeezed him as tightly as I could. He was covered with soot and ash, but he'd never looked more beautiful. As I rubbed his back and persuaded myself to believe he was real, I leaned back and kissed him with everything I had. I didn't hold back and dared anyone to say something to us.

I led him into our apartment and told him to take a shower while I called our parents. The relief and elation in their voices was infectious and I found myself smiling long after I'd hung up.

After emerging from the steamy bathroom, Jasper joined me on the couch and recounted his experience. My heart broke for him as he talked about the sounds, smells and sights he experienced, both horrific and inspiring. By the grace of God, he made it out of the building, but had to walk home, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Even though it took forever, I've never been so grateful to walk anywhere in my life. During the rush to get out of the building, I left my cell phone on my desk, but the entire time I kept thinking about you. Your face, in my mind's eye, kept me focused and in the right frame of mind. Otherwise I would have succumbed to all of the pain and destruction around me."

"During that long walk home, I thought about what you were probably going through and I prayed you were okay."

His eyes filled with tears as his hand tightened around mine.

"I'm so sorry for worrying you, Edward."

Shaking my head, I told him that was nonsense.

"I'm just glad you made it home, period. Jasper, all the worry was worth it when I saw you running towards me. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Edward."

I prepared dinner while Jasper spoke on the phone with his parents, followed by mine; convincing them he was fine and thanking them for all of their prayers. As I watched him smiling throughout the conversations, I couldn't help but think about the 'what ifs', but quickly pushed those thoughts out of my head. I refused to allow myself to dwell on what could have happened because I was one of the fortunate ones. I had my love back and he was safe. Others weren't so lucky.

I decided right then and there that I would never take Jasper, or his love, for granted ever again. We were given a second chance, and I wasn't going to go one day without telling him how much I loved him and how special he was to me.

Hanging up the phone, Jasper turned towards me and smiled brightly. I pulled his hand up to mouth and kissed it gently.

"Jasper, I love you."

"I love you too, Edward."

"Spend forever with me?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p><strong>With all of us remembering 911 on this, the 10****th**** anniversary, this story popped into my mind this morning. Edward's words would not leave me alone, so I had to type everything out and share it with you.**

**As we remember those who lost and gave their lives on that scary day 10 years ago, please remember to cherish the people in your lives and never take them for granted. Life is so fleeting, so it's important that we tell our loved ones and friends they are loved and appreciated. :)**


	10. Fight for You

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**This o/s was inspired by Bruno Mars' song, _Grenade_.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Fight for You<strong>

_I'd catch a grenade for you  
>Throw my hand on a blade for you<br>I'd jump in front of a train for you  
>You know I'd do anything for you<em>

_I would go through all this pain_  
><em>Take a bullet straight through my brain<em>  
><em>Yes, I would die for you, baby<em>  
><em>But you won't do the same<em>

_- Bruno Mars, Grenade_

"Don't you understand that I would do anything for you? _Anything_!"

I watched in shock as Edward's face contorted in pain and anger, his hands clenching and unclenching into tight fists.

My silence must have angered him further because he stepped closer to me, gripping my shoulders tightly, but not so tight that he'd hurt me.

"I love you, Jasper. Why won't you believe that?"

Looking into his pleading, green eyes, I tried to believe him. I wanted to believe him.

"You don't mean that," I responded. "You're just confused. Maybe you feel obligated because of our history. We have been friends for a long time."

His hands fell from me as his shoulders sagged. Defeat seemed to infest every cell of his body and I felt horrible. I never wanted him to feel like this. I never wanted him to ever feel the rejection and unworthiness I've felt in the past.

"I do mean it, Jasper. This isn't confusion or experimentation or any other bullshit. I'm in love with you and I…I just wish you could find it in your heart to love me back. Fuck, we've been friends for years and I watched you go from one bad relationship to the next, hoping and praying that one day you'd see me as more than just your drinking buddy."

Sighing and looking down on the floor, he said quietly, "It's okay. I'm not strong like Peter or charming like Riley. I'm not world-traveled like Demetri or happy go-lucky like Jake. I'm just plain old me; the music nerd who stupidly fell in love with his best friend."

Tears filled my eyes as Edward's words stabbed my heart. No, he wasn't like all of those guys and that's why I did love him so much. He was loyal, kind, clever and smart. He would give you his last nickel if you needed it and he always put others' happiness above his own. I'd seen it so many times during our friendship.

I wanted to tell him that he makes my heart speed up whenever he walks into the room, and how I'm dazzled by his smile. His laugh makes me melt and his emotions, which he wears so openly on his sleeves, make me want to hug, kiss and cherish him.

But I was scared.

I was scared that once I finally did give him my heart, he'd rip it out of my chest and stomp on it. All the others did.

"I'm not like them, you know," he said, almost reading my mind.

Walking forward and looking deeply into my eyes, he stood directly in front of me. We were so close I could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

"You can trust me with your heart. I'll take care of it, I promise."

Reaching forward, he gently placed his hand over my heart and I immediately felt warmth radiate through me; from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, and it felt good.

It felt right.

It felt like home.

"I want to try," I whispered softly. "But I'm so scared. The thought of possibly losing you would be my ending, Edward. Those other guys didn't mean a quarter as much as you do. You're my best friend and everything I could ever ask for, but I'm so afraid that I'll lose you."

His eyes shimmered as his hand moved from my chest to my cheek where his thumb lightly rubbed over my cheekbone.

"I'm not going anywhere, Jasper. I've loved you for so long and I doubt there's anything that could make me stop. You're the love of my life and I don't intend to ever let you go."

A feeling a pure euphoria coursed through my veins upon hearing his words.

"I love you too, Edward. More than you know."

"Then please don't push me away. We're in this together."

Nodding my head, I repeated, "Together. Forever."

"Forever."

He pulled me into his arms and confirmed our commitment with a slow and tender kiss. It was perfect. _He_ was perfect.

Edward wasn't like the others. He was so much more and I was the luckiest damn guy in the world to be on the receiving end of his limitless love.


	11. Mommy Kissed Who?

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**So I decided to explore a different type of relationship between our Jasper and Edward…  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Mommy Kissed Who?<br>**

"Edward! Wake up!"

I was pulled from my deep sleep by two small hands shaking my shoulders and a child's voice in my ear.

"What," I mumbled in my groggy state.

"Edward, wake up! I have to tell you something!"

"Jasper, what in the world do you need to tell me in the middle of the night?"

My little brother climbed onto my bed and sat indian style in front of me as I slowly sat up and turned on the light. My eyes instantly closed as my brain was assaulted with the painful white light.

_It's way too early for this._

"Jasper, we've been through this. You can't go downstairs and open your gifts until the morning. Santa probably hasn't even been here yet."

The little boy in front of me practically bounced up and down on my bed. Even though I was 16 and way beyond believing in Santa Claus, I didn't want to kill the childlike wonder of the precocious 11-year-old sitting in front of me. Besides, his excitement was contagious and I found myself smiling at the little rascal.

Jasper came to live with us six years ago. Mom and Dad told me I was going to be a big brother and that Jasper would be arriving soon. I figured Mom was pregnant and I had plenty of time to come to terms with the news. I was, after all, the son of a doctor, so I knew all about how babies were made and the gestation process – yes, Dad said gestation as if I were a medical student and could comprehend such a word at a young age. I did, however, find it weird that they were already calling the baby by his name, but whatever.

They explained to me that Jasper would be joining the family in a couple of weeks and I was shocked into silence. I didn't know how to react, so I did what any 10-year-old would do, I stomped to my room and slammed my door shut. Mom and Dad both tried to talk to me, but I didn't want to hear it.

"Why do I need a stupid brother anyway? We're fine just the way we are," I screamed.

"Edward, Jasper deserves a family just as much as you do. He needs people to love him."

"Where's his own family? Why isn't he with them?"

With a sigh, my father placed his hand on my shoulder and looked at me, compassion filling his grey eyes.

"Jasper's parents were killed and he has no other family. He's moved from foster home to foster home, but none of them were a good fit. When you mother and I met him, he immediately took to us, something he'd never done before. It's fate and I believe he was meant to be part of our family."

I immediately shut up when Dad mentioned Jasper's parents passing away. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like not to have my mom and dad around, and thus the first brick of my wall crumbled.

We spent the following weeks preparing for Jasper's arrival. I helped Mom decorate his room, remembering things I liked when I was his age. Finally the big day came and I found myself waiting for my parents and Jasper to return home. Our neighbor's daughter, Rose, watched me for the hour or so that they were gone and I couldn't help but admit that I was excited to see this new brother of mine.

As soon as I heard the car pull up in the driveway, I was on my feet and waiting at the door.

"They're here, Rose! They're here," I said.

She smiled and joined me as the door opened. Dad stepped in first with a smile on his face, followed by mom who was holding the hand of a little boy with wavy, dark blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes I'd ever seen. He looked around tentatively before looking at me and smiling. I smiled back, feeling warmth in my chest. The last brick fell.

"Hi," I said, waving my hand. "My name's Edward."

"Hi," he returned.

He looked so shy and I didn't want him to feel weird or uncomfortable being here.

"I'm going to be your big brother. You're going to love it here! Mom and Dad are really cool, even though they only let me have one bowl of ice cream instead of two."

Both Mom and Dad chuckled as Jasper's hand slipped out of Mom's and he took a step closer.

"Are you my new sister," he asked, looking up at Rose.

She knelt down in front of him and hugged him tightly. "No, sweetie, but I live right next door. I usually babysit Edward when his, I mean, _your_ Mom and Dad need a sitter. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together the next time I come over."

He stared up at her like she was an angel and smiled brightly.

"Okay."

Grabbing his hand in mine, I started pulling him towards the stairs.

"Come on, Jas! I'll show you to your new room."

He held my hand tightly as we raced up the stairs.

Now, six years later, the small boy, who joined our family, was a little bigger, a lot more rambunctious, but also the kindest, gentlest soul you'd ever meet, was sitting in front of me eager to reveal this big secret of his.

"What is so important that it couldn't wait until morning, Jas?"

His already big eyes seemed to grow as he leaned in and whisper-yelled.

"Edward, I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus."

I struggled to hold in my laughter as he stared at me intently as if I'd have some kind of justification for all of this.

"Well, maybe she was just thanking him for working so hard."

"Do you think so? Won't Daddy be upset?"

"I'm sure everything will be okay."

Suddenly tears filled Jasper's eyes and I could literally see the gears turning in his head.

"What's wrong, Jasper?"

He jumped up and crawled under the covers with me and pushed his head into my chest, sniffling.

"I don't want Mommy and Daddy to get a divorce! What if she doesn't love Daddy, you or me anymore? She'll leave. I like Santa, but I'll hate him if takes away Mommy."

Holding him tighter, I gently told him that Mom was not going to leave and he had nothing to worry about.

"Do you promise," he asked, eyes full of hope.

"I promise."

Yawning, his eyes began to droop a little. I told him to lie down and get some sleep. Before he knew it, it would be Christmas morning and he'd be opening his gifts. He was practically asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Before turning off the light, I watched him sleep, curled up underneath my blankets and lightly snoring. At that moment, I'd never been more thankful that my parents brought Jasper into our lives. Sure, we had our moments, what brothers didn't, but for all intents and purposes, I was very proud to call Jasper my brother.

The next morning, I awakened to Jasper nearly crushing my chest, pressing down on it with both of his hands.

"It's time, Edward! Christmas is here!"

Before I could even fully comprehend what he just said, Jasper had opened my bedroom door and was racing down the stairs. I slowly got up and pulled on a hoodie before joining the rest of the family.

"Oh my gosh! A new bike," I heard Jasper yell at the top of his lungs.

My parents always made Christmas special for both of us, but now that I was getting older, it was more fun to watch Jasper's reactions to his gifts more than anything else. While Jasper was geeking out in the living room, I went into the kitchen where Mom had a mug of hot chocolate waiting for me.

"Merry Christmas, honey," she said, kissing my forehead.

"Merry Christmas, Mom."

"Merry Christmas, son," Dad said, joining us in the kitchen. "We better get into the living room before Jasper pops a blood vessel. He was literally vibrating in there."

"Okay, but I want to speak to you both briefly."

Dad's expression suddenly became serious and I heard Mom hold her breath.

"You know that little thing you two planned with Jasper seeing Santa putting stuff under the tree?"

They both nodded and waited for me to continue.

"Well, Jasper saw you."

"Great," Dad exclaims.

"There's more. He saw you kiss Mom and now he thinks Mom is going to leave you for Santa."

They both broke out into a fit of laughter.

"I'm serious. He came to my room last night really upset. He thought the family was going to fall apart. He even said he'd hate Santa if he took his Mommy away."

That sobered them up real quick.

"Oh no," Mom said with a gasp.

"I think I convinced him that everything is cool, but you may want to reassure him."

"We will," Dad said. "Thanks for letting us know. We never intended for him think something like that. I guess your mother and I got a little carried away."

"Stop! I don't want to hear any of that. Let's just forget about it and say we did. I don't want to be scarred for the rest of my life."

Laughing to themselves, we all walked in the living room where Jasper was practically rolling on the floor with excitement.

"Come on you guys! It's time to start Christmas!"

_Jasper __has __officially __become __the __annoying __kid __brother __in _A Christmas Story_._

Placing a gift in Jasper's hands, so he'd have something to do and an outlet for his never ending energy, we all settled in and exchanged gifts. Mom and Dad gave me an incredible MacBook Air laptop - I think I nearly fainted when I saw the box – and a ticket for the upcoming Kings of Leon concert. I seriously thought I'd died and gone to heaven, but I was confused because there was only one ticket. Was I going by myself?

As if reading my mind, Dad helped me out, a knowing smile plastered on his face. "The other half of your gift is a surprise. You'll find out about it later on."

I nodded my head, stood up and gave both of my parents and big hug, thanking them for my awesome gifts.

After opening all of his gifts, Mom and Dad like to individually wrap all of his stuff because he loves to open them; Jasper thanked all of us and sat quietly on the floor staring at everything in awe. Out of nowhere we heard a faint yelping sound as Mom stood and went into the kitchen to refill our mugs with hot cocoa. Just then a little ball of fur came bounding out of the kitchen and straight to Jasper. His eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when he looked down at the puppy in front of him.

"Oh my gosh," he yelled as he picked up the puppy and pulled it to his chest.

The small chocolate lab happily licked his face and squirmed in his arms.

"Is this for me," Jasper asked looking at all of us.

"I guess so," Mom answered. "It was a special gift from Santa."

"Yeah, he probably left this extra special gift after kissing Mommy last night."

Jasper gasped and covered his mouth with one hand while holding the puppy in his other arm, realizing he just slipped and revealed the big secret.

We all started laughing at the hilarious expression on his face.

"It's okay, Jasper, I know all about what happened between Mommy and Santa last night," Dad said.

"Are you mad?"

"No, Mommy was just thanking Santa for being so generous to our family over the years. You and Edward were our greatest gifts."

Jasper's megawatt smile lit up the room and he giggled when the puppy nipped at his ear.

Dad leaned forward and said in Jasper's direction, "Besides, Mrs. Claus gave me a kiss last night as well."

I shook my head as Dad winked at Jasper and then turned to Mom, kissing her hand.

_**x~x~x~x~x~x~x**_

Later that afternoon, our house was filled with friends and family as we ate, told stories and watched cheesy Christmas movies on TV. Rose and her husband, Emmett, were curled up together in the love seat. They announced they were expecting their first child and the room erupted with congratulations and well wishes. I knew Rose would make a great mom. She was so great with me and Jasper when she was our sitter that I had no doubt the baby growing inside her belly would be loved and well taken care of. Plus, Emmett was the biggest kid at heart, so not only would their little boy or girl have more love that he or she knew what to do with, but the baby would also have an extremely fun and hilarious dad.

Along with Rose and Emmett, the Clearwaters, Sue, Leah and Seth, joined in the festivities. Our families had always been pretty close, but after the death of Harry a year ago, we seemed to grow even closer. Leah, a couple of years older than me, seemed to withdraw the most, but luckily her boyfriend, Jake, was always close by and did everything in his power to put a smile on her face.

Seth and Jasper became best friends as soon as they met. When Seth and his family appeared at our door that afternoon, Jasper grabbed his hand and they ran up to his room so he could show him his presents. I believe they shared a particularly strong bond because they'd both lost parents at a young age. In their own special way, they comforted and helped each other. Even now, they were curled up together on the floor, with the newly named Butterscotch in between them, sleeping. They were always holding hands, but even in their sleep their hands were clasped as if they needed to be close to one another. It was an adorable sight.

The evening wore on and the second half of my gift hadn't materialized. I was beginning to wonder what in the world it could be when the doorbell rang. Mom answered and led our guest in the living room with the rest of the crowd. When he came into view, my heart did a back flip.

_Riley._

Riley had been my best friend for past three years after he moved here from Washington, D.C. We had so much in common and loved to do many of the same things that it would have been impossible for us to not become best friends. We did everything together and barely a day went by that we didn't see each other or spend hours talking on the phone or texting. The only thing that could potentially ruin our perfect friendship was that I was kind of in love with him.

"Hey, Edward," he said as we walked towards each other, our bodies pulling towards each other like magnets.

"Hey, Riley," I said with a big smile, hoping my feelings didn't betray me and reveal themselves with a hug or kiss in front of God, my family and our friends.

"Did you hear the great news," he asked, our Christmas tree lights causing his brown eyes to twinkle.

"No," I said confused.

"My parents gave me a ticket to the Kings of Leon concert and said you received one too. Looks like we're going together!"

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest.

"That's right," Dad chimed in. "I'll drop the two of you off before the concert and then pick you up afterwards. I've already worked everything out with Riley's parents."

"Thanks, Dad," I exclaimed, giving him a big hug.

"I can't wait," Riley said, pulling me into his own warm, strong hug. I stood frozen for a moment, shocked that he was hugging me, before I relaxed and enjoyed the moment.

_Best Christmas gift EVER!_

As Riley and I sat on the couch, I felt his pinky finger slowly graze over my hand. I quickly glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and my heart nearly stopped when I found him staring at me, a grin on his face and a blush on his cheeks.

He leaned over to whisper in my ear. "I'm really excited about the concert, Edward."

I smiled and turned my head to respond, not realizing he was so close. Our noses practically touched and a shiver ran down my spine as I told him I was excited too.

"I've been looking forward to something like this for a long time," he said.

My entire body felt like it was engulfed in flames. Could Riley feel the same way about me? There was only one way to find out. Gathering all of my courage, I took Riley's hand in mine, rubbing my thumb lightly over the smooth skin. His smile, which I always thought was breathtaking, warmed my heart and I felt my own cheeks grow hot. We both turned our attention back to the TV to enjoy the rest of the movie, thinking about what was to come for the both of us.

_**x~x~x~x~x~x~x**_

By the end of the evening, Rose and Emmett were saying their goodbyes, Jasper was begging Mom and Sue to allow Seth to spend the night, which of course, they allowed, and I found myself walking Riley to his car hand in hand.

"Thanks for inviting me over, Edward. I had a great time."

"I'm glad you could stop by. It was fun!"

"Is it okay if I give you a call tomorrow? Maybe we can hang out?"

"Riley, you never have to ask hang out."

He looked down at the ground and I could faintly see pink tint his cheeks.

"I know. Well, I better head out. I'll see you tomorrow."

Before I could respond, Riley had pulled me closer and lightly touched his lips to mine. It was perfect. When he pulled away, I smiled so hard my face started to hurt.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," he whispered as he turned to get into his car.

"Okay," I said.

I watched him pull out of the driveway with my heart beating a million beats per minute.

_Riley just kissed me!_

When I finally made it back into the house, Mom and Dad kept smirking like they wanted to tease me, but thankfully they didn't. It finally hit me that they and Mr. and Mrs. Biers probably set this whole concert thing up. Oh well, I certainly wasn't going to complain.

Jasper and Seth already had their blankets and pillows laid out on the floor, were dressed in their pjs and were contently playing with Butterscotch.

"Hey you two," I said, interrupting their latest fit of giggles. "What are you going to do for the rest of the night?"

"We're going to watch _A __Christmas __Story_, _Rudolph_, _Frosty_ and _Snoopy_," Seth exclaimed. His big, dark brown eyes dancing with joy. Jasper nodded next to him, smiling as he watched his best friend talk.

"If you need anything, just ask me, Mom or Dad, okay?"

"Okay," Seth said.

Jasper jumped up and ran towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist. Hugging him back tightly, he looked up at me and said, "Merry Christmas, Edward. Thanks for being the best big brother I could ever have."

Emotion nearly overwhelmed me as I fought the tears that welled in my eyes. I knelt down in front of him and hugged him properly.

"Merry Christmas, buddy. You're a pretty awesome brother yourself!"

I playfully mussed his hair and he smiled brightly at me.

"Now go have fun. I think you and Seth have a movie marathon ahead of you."

"Okay!"

He ran to his place next to Seth and Butterscotch, grabbing the remote and pressing play.

"I'll see you both tomorrow," I yelled as I made my way upstairs.

"See ya," they said in unison.

Closing my bedroom door behind me, I thought about how fortunate and thankful I was on this awesome Christmas day. I had incredible parents, a great little brother who's taught me so much in the six short years I've known him, friends who are always there for me and Riley, my best friend who may be turning into something more.

Lying back on my bed, I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face and a near-bursting heart.

* * *

><p><strong>So what did you think? I have been thinking about writing a os about Jasper and Edward as brothers because I thought it would be cute to see that type of dynamic between them. Of course, I still couldn't resist adding a little boy lovin' in there! *giggle* How many of you think that in a few years, Jasper and Seth will be stealing glances and watching each other longingly? LOL So cute!**


	12. Love After War

**A/N: I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**This one shot was inspired by the awesome song, _Love __After __War_ by Robin Thicke.  
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><p><strong>Love After War<strong>

Sitting in the living room, I watched Jasper pouring through book after book at the dining room table. He was totally engrossed and in his own little world…the world of the Civil War.

_Yawn!_

Don't get me wrong, I supported Jasper's extreme love of the War Between the States and the fact that he was currently writing a book on the Battles of Antietam and Gettysburg, but for the love of god, I wished he'd put down one of those damn books and pay a little attention to me!

I knew I was being a brat, but I couldn't find it within myself to care. I also understood that he was in the midst of his research and the work he was currently doing was the meat and potatoes of the book. In a few short days Jasper was going to be getting on a plane and leaving me to do some additional research at the Gettysburg and Antietam Battlefields. He didn't even bother to ask me to come along because he knew I'd be more of a distraction than anything else. If he wanted to go out in the country and stare at open fields and dig around in the dirt, have at it. Me? I'd rather have a couple of drinks with friends, enjoy a good meal and listen to some good music at a hole in wall jazz club in the Village.

Suddenly an idea popped into my perfectly coiffed head. We don't argue very often, but when we do, Jasper, being the calm, levelheaded man that he is, tries to resolve our issues right away and then fucks me senseless. We tend to be very passionate people, so our make up sex is just as lively as our disagreements.

I was just itching for some rough, angry make up sex, so I knew if I pushed the right buttons, I could get Jasper annoyed just enough to make him lose a little bit of control and satisfy my need to be pounded into the mattress. What can I say, he looked so sexy in his glasses, typing away on his laptop. I wanted to be the naughty student to his fuckhot professor. Don't get me wrong, I loved it when we made love, but there was something to be said for a good old-fashioned fucking, and I was just in the mood for it. I stood up and looked at the paperwork Jasper left on the kitchen counter regarding his upcoming trip.

_Time to give the performance of a lifetime, Edward!_

My face contorted into a look of shock, horror and disgust as I pretended to the read the papers.

"Jasper!"

He immediately looked up from his work, concern written on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Why is my name not on any of the flight or hotel information?"

"What," he asked completely confused.

"My name is not on any of this information. You weren't even going to consider asking me if I'd like to come along with you?"

"Um….well, you've never expressed interest before. Do you want to come?"

_Oh, more than you know, Jas._

Before I could even answer, he was pulling up the internet browser on his laptop.

"If I do it now, I can probably get you booked for the flight. We're still a few days out, so it shouldn't be too hard."

He smiled sheepishly before returning his gaze back to the computer.

My heart melted a little at the way my Jasper always tried to make me happy, but I couldn't dwell on that. I had a performance to carry out.

"Forget it, Jasper! No need to try to fix it now. I was obviously the last thing on your mind when you were making your plans."

He froze and looked up from his screen. Gone was the confusion. Now he was just shocked.

"What? That's not fair. You've never wanted to go on these trips before. I just thought I'd spare you having to decline the offer. I know how boring all of this is to you."

"That's not the point, Jasper! It shouldn't matter if decline or not. You should have at least given me the opportunity to make the decision!"

We stared at each other for a few moments and I could see the wheels turning in his head.

_React, Jasper. React!_

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes. "You're right, Edward. I'm sorry."

_Huh? That's not how I expected this to go. Damn, now I have to pull out the big guns._

I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed.

"Whatever. How do I know you just didn't ask me because you have another guy on the side that you're taking instead?"

_Bingo!_

Jasper's face changed from contrition to anger faster than I thought possible.

"Excuse me," he questioned as he stood up and stared me down.

"You heard me," I screamed. "You probably have some Civil War geek waiting for you in the wings. I never thought you, of all people, would cheat, Jasper."

He was visibly shaking at this point and I knew I'd struck a nerve.

"No, that's you, Edward."

_Whoa, I wasn't expecting that._

"How do _I_ know that whenever I go on these trips you aren't falling into the arms of some other guy or better yet, Garrett?"

I stood in front of him completely gobsmacked and aghast while he looked like he wanted to break something. I instantly regretted my stupid plan because shit got real very fast.

About six months into our relationship, I made the horrible mistake of drunkenly making out with my ex, Garrett, at a bar while out with friends. I felt horrible afterwards and told Jasper right away. I thought if I was honest and upfront with him, I'd get off a little easy. That wasn't the case. He looked heartbroken when I told him the news, but ever the gentleman, he politely asked me to leave his apartment and then proceeded to refuse to answer my texts and phone calls. After a month had passed, I was sure I'd lost him for good until one day we ran into each other at a deli. I tried to strike up a conversation with him, but he was very skittish and leery the entire time.

Over the next few months, I slowly regained his trust, but there was always that one small part of him that wondered if I'd ever repeat my mistake. I think it's one of the reasons he concedes to my wants so easily. Of course he wants to make me happy and loves me like no other has loved me, but I also believed he thinks I'm going to just up and leave him one day. He later told me the reason he was so upset was because he'd decided to open his heart to the possibility of forever with me and then I stomped all over it. He was extremely hurt and even contemplated giving up on the idea of love altogether. Unfortunately, I wasn't the first to cheat on that beautiful man and I hated myself for adding to his already fragile outlook on love and relationships. He said there was something special about us that made him want to try and we've been great ever since, or so I thought.

"I can't believe you'd go there, Jasper!"

"Me? You're the one accusing me of cheating. The thing I said I'd NEVER do to you. Not only are you accusing me of being a cheater, but now I'm also a liar?"

"No," I started, knowing I needed to get this under control quickly, but he cut me off.

"Forget it. Maybe I was wrong about us. I-I don't know what to do. I thought I made you happy, but obviously that's not the case."

"Jasper, no," I said as my eyes started to blur from tears.

_Shit! This is not how I wanted this to go! I just wanted to push a few buttons so we could have some angry sex, but now he doubts our entire relationship. Dammit!_

He lifted his hand silently asking me stop. He looked completely defeated, sad and broken. My heart shattered into a million shards because I made him feel that way. All because I wanted a little attention; attention he probably would have freely given if I'd just asked like an adult instead of resorting childishness.

"I'm going to see if I can stay with Em and Rose until my trip. After that….who knows."

"No! You can't leave me!"

"But you're not happy, Edward. It's not fair to either of us to stay in a relationship like that. We'd end up resenting and hating each other. I love you too much to allow that," he said, his voice trembling towards the end.

He slowly started walking into our bedroom with his head down. For some reason, a wave of anger ripped through my body and I found myself pushing him down, face first onto the bed. He quickly turned around and looked slightly frightened. I'm sure I was a sight. My chest was heaving, tears were running down my cheeks and I was sure I was this close to hyperventilating. But all of that shit didn't matter. I was _not_ going to lose Jasper. He was my everything and I _had_ to make this right.

"Edward?"

I leaned over him and kissed him, hard and deep. I wanted to kiss all of his doubt and insecurities away and show him exactly to whom I belonged. A growl emanated from deep within my chest as my hands dove into his hair, pulling and holding fistfuls tightly in my grip. Simultaneously my tongue pushed its way into his mouth. His taste always set me on fire, but the combination of heightened emotions and adrenaline made me hyper aware of everything Jasper.

He looked beautiful lying beneath me.

He tasted like heaven.

His moans and whimpers were music to my ears.

The hard, solid planes of his body made my hands desperate to touch every inch of him.

He smelled like love, desire and victory.

Jasper's hands seemed to dance across my skin, setting me on fire with need.

"You're the only one for me," I said between kisses. "You've ruined me for anyone else."

The sexiest groan fell from Jasper's lips as I sat up and looked down at him. His arms reached for me in an effort to reconnect our bodies, but I didn't want to waste anymore time. I needed him inside of me as soon as fucking possible.

Grabbing the lube, I quickly poured some on my fingers, reached around and began to prepare myself. As my fingers sank deeper into my body, my head lolled back as the pleasure mounted.

"Oh my god," Jasper murmured.

"Mmmm. Feels so good," I said through clenched teeth. "I can't wait to feel your cock inside of me instead of my fingers."

Breathing heavily, he reached for me and pulled me down for a searing kiss.

"Let me in, Edward. _Please_ let me in, baby."

I quickly sat up, positioned Jasper's cock and slowly sank down. There was nothing like the feel of Jasper initially sliding into my body. The mixture of the slight sting from the stretching and the feeling of being filled perfectly was always intoxicating. If I could bottle that feeling, I'd make a killing. Talk about addictive!

I started to ride my man, grabbing his hands and entwining our fingers. While Jasper supported me, my pace and the force with which I sank onto his dick increased. Jasper was practically screaming in pleasure while I smiled and hummed, enjoying every hot moment. He quickly gripped my dick, pulling no more than three times before I was screaming and coming all over his stomach and chest. I watched in awe as his orgasm ripped through his body, causing it to tense and then shake as he came inside me.

Falling forward, I nuzzled his neck and felt his strong arms wrap around me and hold me tightly.

"I'm sorry, Jas. I didn't mean any of those things I said. I just wanted to push your buttons a bit, so we could have some make up sex. Everything just spiraled out of control and before I knew it, you were moving out and we were breaking up. Please tell me we're okay. Please don't leave me."

**JPOV**

As much as I wanted to be angry at him for pulling this little stunt, I couldn't after listening to his heartfelt words and pleading.

"It's okay, baby. We're good. I'm sorry for throwing your mistake in your face. That was wrong of me. Deep down I know you would never do anything like that ever again, but in the heat of the moment, my insecurities got the best of me."

I felt him nod and smile against my neck as he placed soft kisses on my sensitive skin.

"But next time you want a little attention, just tell me. I'll always make time for you."

"I promise."

Shifting slightly, I slid out of Edward's warm body, missing our intimate connection immediately.

"Come on, let's get cleaned up and fix something to eat. I'm starving!"

We slowly stood and headed to the shower. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist as if I would suddenly disappear. I'm sure this whole experience scared him. I know it scared the hell out of me. Edward is definitely the love of my life, and even though we've had occasional problems in the past, our relationship has been great.

I hoped he was happy with the outcome of his little ruse. Not only did he get his hot make up sex, but he was also going to get that trip he pretended to want to go on. I'm going to take him to every important spot on those battlefields and fuck and suck him everywhere I can so that he'll always think of our trip, and the Civil War, fondly.

As we stepped into the shower, the air thick and heavy from the steam, I wrapped my arms around my beautiful boyfriend and smiled knowing our relationship was still strong and intact. I couldn't help but silently laugh to myself because Edward was probably going to throw the biggest queen fit ever when he finds out _my_ evil plans.

* * *

><p><strong>If you have the opportunity to listen to <em>Love <em>_After __War_, do it! It's definitely a song that could be added to your CFM playlists. LOL**

**I got the idea for "He smelled like victory" after watching a video on youtube by Kid Fury. He met one of his favorite singers and was so enchanted by the man that he said he smelled like victory. I loved it and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use that line in a story for a while now. **


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